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‘Come back king, save the country’: Protests erupt in Nepal for the return of Hindu monarchy and the nation’s former status as a Hindu state

OpIndia Staff
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‘Come back king, save the country’: Protests erupt in Nepal for the return of Hindu monarchy and the nation’s former status as a Hindu state

King Gyanendra Shah was compelled to abdicate and make way for a republic sixteen years ago in Nepal as a result of widespread protests. However, a fresh movement of demonstration is now attempting to reinstate him, reported the Associated Press (AP). Now, Kathmandu, the capital of the tiny nation in the Himalayas is once again brimming with agitation for the restoration of Hinduism for the past few months as the official state religion and the re-election of Shah as its king.

The main political parties in the nation are accused by royalist organisations of corruption and poor governance and they asserted that the public is fed up with the politicians. A crowd in Kathmandu raised slogans including, “Come back king, save the country. Long live our beloved king. We want a monarchy,” in a rally in February of this year.

An increasing discontent with the current system has given rise to demands for drastic modifications. Rallies in favour of the monarchy have been growing bigger and a greater number of residences and commercial establishments are sporting pictures of the former king and his forebears.

Before taking over total authority in 2005, Gyanendra Shah was a head of state recognized by the constitution but he lacked political and executive authority. Two years after the parliament voted to abolish the monarchy, he left the Royal Palace to live a commoner’s life and was compelled to cede authority to the government in 2006 following protests that drew hundreds of thousands of people. However, a lot of Nepalis are now angry with the republic, claiming it hasn’t succeeded in establishing political stability and holding it responsible for the country’s faltering economy and pervasive corruption. Since the monarchy was overthrown in 2008, Nepal has had thirteen governments.

According to independent Kathmandu-based researcher Dhruba Hari Adhikary, many Nepalis think elected officials are more focused on maintaining their position of power and receiving favours than they are on addressing the concerns of citizens. He stated, “That’s why some people started to think that, well, it was far better under the monarchy.” He added, “But the movement is too small to prevail any time soon.”

Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in favour of the monarch in November 2023 in Kathmandu but were prevented from marching into the heart of the city by riot police officers using batons and tear gas. In the predominantly Hindu nation, kings were long regarded to be reincarnations of the god Vishnu. One of the agitators Rudra Raj Pandey, in a rally in February, noted, “Our country will retain its values and identity only if it is turned back to a monarchy and the king is reinstated to the throne.”

The number of people in Nepal who prefer the monarchy is unknown because polls and surveys are rarely carried out there. Even though Gyanendra Shah was an unpopular king, the monarchy was still widely accepted before he absorbed power. The major political parties in the nation have rejected the idea of the monarch taking the throne again.

Narayan Prakash Saud, the leader of the Nepali Congress, the largest party in parliament at the time of the 2006 uprising claimed, “Nepal is a republic and the monarchy will never be reinstated. The only way it would be possible would be through changing the constitution, but there is no possibility of that happening at all.”

The national democratic party or Rastriya Prajatantra Party was established in the 1990s by pro-monarchy supporters and is currently the most influential group advocating for the return of the monarchy. It represents the protest movement with 14 seats in parliament, or around 5% of the total although it wields an enormous amount of power.

In February, party leaders met with the prime minister to put forward their demands. Rabindra Mishra, deputy chairman of the party remarked, “I think it is very possible and the environment throughout the country has never been so congenial for this agenda. If we can’t restore the institution of the monarchy in this country, there is no future for the youth in this country and the existence of this country itself could be at risk.”

Gyanendra Shah has not addressed the movement in his own words. Since his abdication, he has avoided explicit involvement in politics and has made few public appearances. There are now numerous organizations backing the king.

Pasupathi Khadga, the head of a young group that advocates for the restoration of the monarchy highlighted, “We need a monarchy. Without a king, we have no identity as Nepalese and all of us might as well just declare ourselves as refugees.”

Political parties were not permitted to be established in Nepal’s monarchy until 1990 when elections were introduced and the king was reduced to a ceremonial position by a pro-democracy movement. After the murder of his elder brother, King Birendra and his family in a massacre that took place at the royal palace in 2001, Gyanendra Shah ascended to the throne.

Aamir Khan’s ex-wife Kiran Rao talks about developed railway stations with tiles and ‘modern’ look, says it was hard to find ideal stations for her movie

OpIndia Staff
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Aamir Khan’s ex-wife Kiran Rao talks about developed railway stations with tiles and ‘modern’ look, says it was hard to find ideal stations for her movie

Kiran Rao’s directorial debut ‘Laapataa Ladies’ has hit the theatres on 1st March 2024 receiving a mixed reception from the critics and the audiences. Amid this, its director Kiran Rao in an exclusive interview with the media channel ‘The Lallantop’ happened to discuss the development of the Indian Railways and seemed ‘inconvenienced’ with the fact that the govt is trying to make the Railway stations look ‘fancy’ and modern.

“Laapataa Ladies” is a 2001 film set in rural India that tells the tale of two young brides who get separated on a train and explore the consequences as their families and a police officer look into the case. Although the film has struck a chord with its intended demographic, Rao stated that they had to struggle a lot to look for railway stations that resembled the ones in the early 2000s. 

“We shot the village parts in Madhya Pradesh, in the small villages. However, all the train sequences have been shot in the Nashik district of Maharashtra. There are two places in Nashik, one is Yeola and Talegaon. The stations there are still old. The movie period set in the time frame of 2001 demanded old, underdeveloped railway stations. But nowadays these people (the government) are trying to make the stations look very fancy. Everything is so chrome and new tiling, etc,” Rao could be heard saying.

Time stamp (24:16)

The Lallantop’s Saurabh Dwivedi then interrupted, telling Kiran that her comments against the development of railway stations would be trolled on the social media, to which Kiran agreed and joked that that clip should be cut.

It may be recalled that in 2015, speaking on alleged “increasing intolerance” in the country, Aamir Khan claimed his ex-wife Kiran Rao had suggested leaving India as she felt “unsafe” in the country. Six years later, in 2021, the couple announced divorce.

‘Where’s the evidence?’: NZ Deputy PM raises questions over Canada’s allegations against India in Nijjar killing, Khalistani Terrorist Pannun threatens him

OpIndia Staff
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‘Where’s the evidence?’: NZ Deputy PM raises questions over Canada’s allegations against India in Nijjar killing, Khalistani Terrorist Pannun threatens him

New Zealand, a Five-Eyes intelligence ally of Canada, has raised questions on Ottawa’s allegations of Indian involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Notably, New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters asked Canada to show evidence, if it had any, that could link India with the alleged murder of the Khalistani terrorist, Nijjar.  

In an interview with The Indian Express on Tuesday (March 12th), Peters was asked if Canada had shared information on the Nijjar case and whether New Zealand had conveyed its position to India. In response, Peters maintained that the incidents occurred when a different government was in power in their country. Despite New Zealand being an integral member of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, he cast doubt on the “quality” and “reliability” of information shared by the intelligence group.

Peters said, “Well, I wasn’t here, it was handled by the previous government. But look, sometimes when you’re hearing Five-Eyes information, you’re hearing it and saying nothing. It is coming past you. You don’t know the value or the quality of it, but you’re pleased to have it. You don’t know whether there is going to be substantial material value or nothing. But the very, very critical information that matters… This was mainly handled by the previous government.”

A veteran politician of four-and-a-half decades and a legal expert, Peters went on to raise questions on Canada’s stance. He argued that if Canada had any evidence against India, it should have shared it by now, stressing that this means that the Justin Trudeau government has no evidence to back his allegations against India.  

Deputy PM Peters is also the Foreign Minister of New Zealand. He added, “As a trained lawyer, I look okay, so where’s the case? Where’s the evidence? Where’s the finding right here, right now? Well, there isn’t one.” 

Notably, New Zealand is one of the members of the Five-Eyes intelligence alliance along with Canada, the US, the UK, and Australia. It was claimed that Canada had shared intelligence related to the Nijjar killing with its alliance partners, however, New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister’s recent remarks point otherwise. 

Conspicuously, this is the first time that a Five-Eyes partner has directly raised questions on Canada’s allegations, sharing the Indian stance on the issue.

According to reports, Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has issued a threat against New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters following his critical remarks on Canada’s allegations. He has been issuing threats of violent attacks against India’s top diplomat in Canada. Now following Peter’s support to India in the Nijjar fiasco, the Khalistani separatist has also threatened to attack Indian diplomats in New Zealand.

Meanwhile, New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Peters who is currently on a four-day visit to India from March 10-13 held a bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday (12th March). Before coming to Delhi, he also went to Gujarat. 

Peters (78) became Deputy Prime Minister after the Centre-Right parties ousted the Left-leaning Labour Party, in November last year.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ruined ties with India over Nijjar fiasco

On 18th September 2023, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dug a deep grave for the India-Canada relationship as he accused Indian agents of being involved in the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil.

In the Canadian Parliament, he said, “Over the past number of weeks, Canadian Security Agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between the agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.” 

“In the strongest possible terms, I continue to urge the government of India to cooperate with Canada to get to the bottom of this matter,” Trudeau added in his statement.

His allegations led to a diplomatic standoff between India and Canada. Hitting back at the Trudeau government, the Indian government denounced Canada’s allegations as “absurd” and “motivated” and asked Ottawa to furnish solid proof.

The Indian government also pointed out that for internal political compulsions, Trudeau was pandering to the Khalistani extremists. Nearly six months after he aired the allegations in the Canadian Parliament and nine months after Nijjar’s killing, Trudeau’s government has not yet shared any “credible” evidence in this matter. 

Nijjar, who was designated a terrorist by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2020, was shot and killed as he came out of a Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on the evening of June 18, 2023. Video footage of Nijjar’s killing recently surfaced online which Canadian media described as “contract killing”. 

Amid Canada’s failure to indict Indian involvement, “credible” reports had indicated that it could have been a case of “gang violence”. 

Maharashtra cabinet approves renaming of Ahmednagar district as ‘Ahilya Nagar’

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra cabinet approves renaming of Ahmednagar district as ‘Ahilya Nagar’

The Maharashtra cabinet under CM Eknath Shinde has approved the renaming of Ahmednagar district as Ahilya Nagar. There has been a long pending demand to name the district as Ahilya Nagar’ after the Maratha queen from the 18th century.

In addition, the cabinet has also approved the renaming of 8 British-era railway stations in Mumbai area. Also, a proposal to construct a sea link between Uttan (Bhayander) and Virar (Palghar) has been passed.

Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar (1725-1795) was a Maratha queen of the Holkar dynasty who ruled over the kingdom of Malwa after the demise of her husband and father-in-law. Her capital city Maheshwar was located near Indore. She was born in the village of Chondi in Jamkhed, in the district that will now be known as Ahilya Nagar. Ahilya Bai Holkar led armies to battle and made a significant contribution in constructing Hindu temples that were destroyed by Islamic invaders.

The current Kashi Vihswanath Temple in Varanasi was constructed with Ahilyabai’s grants. During her lifetime, the queen had hundreds of temples and dharmashalas constructed.

The cabinet has also approved the purchase of 2.5 acres of land in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir for the construction of a Maharashtra Bhavan there.

Popular X user asks Elon Musk why no ‘community notes’ for Indians, gets stamped with wrong ‘community note’ to his post. Read how Indians are being denied a voice on X

Anurag
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Popular X user asks Elon Musk why no ‘community notes’ for Indians, gets stamped with wrong ‘community note’ to his post. Read how Indians are being denied a voice on X

On 12th March, a popular X user who goes by the handle ‘theskindoctor13’, questioned Elon Musk why Indians do not have access to the Community Notes. Instead of getting a valid reason, his post got slapped with a misleading Community Note that said his post was false and Indians could sign up to become Community Notes contributors.

In a post, The Skin Doctor wrote, “Hey Elon Musk, Why haven’t Indians been given access to community notes yet? We are your third-largest market, and misinformation against us is at an all-time high on Global X. Even the smallest of countries have access to community notes, but not India. What’s wrong with India?”

A community note appeared on his post that read, “This is false. Anyone using X can sign up to become a community notes contributor, including Indians!” There was a link in the note that talked about how to sign up for it.

Source: X

Quoting The Skin Doctor, Rahul Raushan said, “This is “fact-checkers” level Elon Musk. Obviously Indians can sign up for Community Notes, but their status won’t get activated as Indian mobile networks don’t seem to be there in list of ‘eligible carriers’. My own sign-up application is pending for months. Plus the user here mentioned ‘Indians’ in the geographical sense, not in citizenship sense.” (sic)

Pooja Sangwan expressed her dismay over the waiting period for approval for Community Notes. She wrote, “To the community note contributor.. people signed up for community notes since May 2023 not a single Indian account received a notification or update since then. Why there are no Indian community note contributors for Indian X till now? Community Notes please tell.” (sic)

X user Wokeflix shared a screenshot showing that his phone number was not among the trusted phone carriers thus he was unable to signup. He wrote, “This is where the buck stops” and quoted Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar in the post.

X user Wokeflix shared a screenshot showing that his phone number was not among the trusted phone carriers thus he was unable to sign up. He wrote, “This is where the buck stops” and quoted Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar in the post.

However, the Community Note attached to the post was misleading. The reason is, that though Indians have been allowed to sign up for Community Notes, so far their profiles have not been approved. It has been almost a year since the Indians started signing up for the feature. If they try to check the status or reapply, the message reads, “We’ll send you a notification as soon as your account has been activated. Stay up to date by following @CommunityNotes.”

Source: X

Simultaneously, many Indians could not register to Community Notes because their mobile number was not “linked to a trusted carrier”. On one hand, X claims that anyone can register to Community Notes and contribute to making X a better place with reliable information and on the other hand it has restricted one of the largest userbases from writing Community Notes.

Notably, India faced a targeted attack on X with trolls and propagandists posting misleading and derogatory content about the country. Several posts over the week targeted India over food safety, women’s safety, crime and corruption. The X algorithm for some reason boosted such posts and there was no Indian user base in the Community Notes to counter such attacks. Indians found a way to hijack the algorithm and used phrases like “OMG! What’s wrong with India” to show how much India has progressed and how other countries also face problems, and in most cases, those problems are much severe compared to India. However, it is not going to work every time. If X wants to remain an unbiased platform, it has to allow Indians to contribute to Community Notes and not restrict them just to the signup phase.

When the feature launched in December 2022, OpIndia listed some of the problems with the feature. For example, only notes rated helpful by people from diverse perspectives appear on the posts. Secondly, a person can contribute to Community Notes only if there has been no recent notice of X rule violation. However, with online attacks on each other, users often find themselves on the wrong side of the X rules. Furthermore, the problem of “trusted phone carriers” has been persistent since the beginning and it is not restricted to India but to other countries as well. 

Gujarat: PM Modi donates his govt allocated plot in Gandhinagar for construction of Naad Brahma Institute of Indian Music

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat: PM Modi donates his govt allocated plot in Gandhinagar for construction of Naad Brahma Institute of Indian Music

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has donated a plot of land allocated to him and former finance minister Arun Jaitley, located in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar, for the construction of the “Naad Brahma Kala Kendra”, an institute dedicated to Indian music.

The “khat mahurat” or ceremonial groundbreaking took place at the allotted plot 401/A in sector 21 in the presence of Gujarat BJP chief CR Patil and state’s Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on 12th March. The construction of the intended 16-story Naad Brahma building officially began on this auspicious occasion.

The building dedicated to the field of music will be erected on a block of land in Gandhinagar’s Sector-1. The plot, which the government had earlier allocated for PM Modi and the late Arun Jaitley is currently under the trust that is in charge of the Naad Brahma Institute’s establishment.

The Naad Brahma Institute of Indian Music which is affiliated with the Manmandir Foundation, will provide a vast archive of information covering every aspect of Indian music. The institute seeks to create a supportive atmosphere for learning and creativity while unifying and promoting the numerous Indian music traditions and genres.

Modern amenities will be available on board the Naad Brahma Kala Kendra including a 200-seat theatre, two black box theatres, over a dozen multipurpose classrooms for teaching dance and music, five practice and study rooms for performing arts, an open theatre and a sensory garden designed for individuals with disabilities in mind. The facility will also have a museum demonstrating music history, a contemporary library and an outdoor musical garden. The Naad Brahma Kala Kendra will function as a unique hub for music-related events in the future. A fine-dining restaurant and a cafeteria will also be situated on the premises.

Action against encroachments continues in Gujarat, after Dwarka and Somnath, three illegal Dargahs bulldozed in Kutch: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Action against encroachments continues in Gujarat, after Dwarka and Somnath, three illegal Dargahs bulldozed in Kutch: Details

In Gujarat, bulldozer action continues to clear encroachments. Following the removal of encroachments in Dwarka and Somnath, the Dargah near Junagadh’s Majewadi gate was destroyed. Moreover, after clearing the Black Hills in Kutch, the bulldozer moved on to Abdasa, and three illegal dargahs were razed in Anjar as well.

On Tuesday (12th March), three dargahs illegally constructed on government land in Anjar, Kutch, were demolished with bulldozers. The administration conducted the demolition drive amidst stringent police security. Meanwhile, action was taken at the Hajipeer, Nageshapir, and Vallipeer Dargahs.

Furthermore, another illegal structure was razed. A significant police force was deployed in the region for this late-night operation. A fire brigade and ambulance team were dispatched for security reasons.

Recently, the disputed religious site near Majewadi Gate was demolished. The demolition drive was undertaken by Junagadh Municipal Corporation. Notably, the dargah at Majewadi Gate had been the focal point of a riot last year when a Muslim mob created a ruckus against the issuance of an encroachment removal notice.

Previously, three unlawful madrassas had been razed in Khavra, Kutch. Bulldozers were also deployed in Jamnagar on Friday (9th March) to clear two illegal houses belonging to renowned criminal Razak Saicha and his brother. In addition to this, on 11th March, bulldozers were used on two unauthorised dargahs in Abdasa, Kutch.

Earlier this month, encroachments near the dargah on the Mandvi beach were cleared. It was observed that the dargahs of Yusuf Shah Pir on the Maska border and Arif-e-Billah on the Gundiali border in Mandvi had exceeded the sanctioned limits and encroached upon the beach area. Even after prior notices from the administration ordering the removal of these encroachments within a specified timeframe, no action was taken. Consequently, the administration resorted to bulldozer operations to dismantle the unauthorized structures.

SC Collegium overrules objection by Central Govt to appoint CPI(M) sympathiser advocate as Kerala HC judge, says ‘political background not sufficient reason’

OpIndia Staff
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SC Collegium overrules objection by Central Govt to appoint CPI(M) sympathiser advocate as Kerala HC judge, says ‘political background not sufficient reason’

On Tuesday (12th March), the Supreme Court Collegium rejected the Central government’s objection to advocate Manoj Pulamby Madhavan’s appointment as a Kerala High Court judge. The Central government had opposed Madhavan’s nomination since he was a supporter of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) and had previously worked as a Government Pleader in Kerala during the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s tenure in 2010 and 2016-2021.

“The input that the candidate is considered to be a CPI(M) sympathizer is otherwise vague and bereft of cogent grounds. Even otherwise, the mere fact that the candidate has had a political background may not be a sufficient reason in all cases,” the Collegium said while rejecting the Centre’s input.

On 12th March, the Collegium nominated six attorneys’ names, including Madhavan, for appointment as Kerala High Court judges.

Madhavan belongs to the Scheduled Caste community and has 35 documented judgments to his credit. The Union Law Ministry’s Department of Justice, on the other hand, opposed his promotion. “Manoj Pulamby Madhavan is considered to be a CPI(M) sympathizer. He was appointed as Government Pleader in 2010 and 2016-2021 by the LDF Government,” it said.

The Collegium responded by remarking that the claim that Madhavan “is considered to be a CPI(M) sympathizer” is exceedingly ambiguous. “Similarly, that he was appointed as a Government Pleader in 2010 and 2016-2021 by the LDF Government does not constitute a valid ground to reject his candidature,” the Collegium said.

In fact, the candidate’s nomination as a Government Pleader would imply that he has appropriate expertise in managing matters in which the State is a party in several fields of law, according to the judge’s decision.

Regarding the candidate’s alleged past political background, the Collegium noted that a lawyer was recently appointed as a judge of a High Court despite being an office bearer of a political party before her elevation.

Further Manoj’s position as a Scheduled Caste (SC) candidate, paired with his vast legal expertise, was deemed “worthy of being appointed as a Judge of the High Court,” according to the collegium.

The resolution went on to say that his performance having been observed by the members of the Collegium of the High Court who had to observe his competence and conduct as a lawyer, their opinion should be given due weightage.” As a result of their observations and evaluations, the Collegium found that Manoj is qualified and appropriate for appointment as a High Court Judge.

Uttar Pradesh: Man arrested in Lakhimpur Kheri for making derogatory remarks on social media against Shri Ram and PM Modi

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Man arrested in Lakhimpur Kheri for making derogatory remarks on social media against Shri Ram and PM Modi

Shardanagar Police in Lakhimpur Kheri recently arrested an accused for making objectionable remarks on social media against Hindu deities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and using abusive language against a community. The Police arrested the accused on Monday (11th March) within 12 hours of posting objectionable content on social media. 

They also recovered a mobile phone from the possession of the accused which was allegedly used in the incident. Further legal action is being taken in this matter.   

The arrest comes as part of a large operation by Kheri SP Ganesh Prasad Saha against wanted criminals in the entire district. Taking to its official X handle, the Kheri Police confirmed his arrest and shared the details of the incident. 

As per reports, the accused has been identified as Mastram alias Mastu, a resident of Sirsi village, which comes under the Shardanagar police station. Recently, the accused posted an objectionable message on social media in which he made disparaging remarks against a particular community, Shri Ram, and PM Modi.  

After the post went viral, Shardanagar Police swung into action and arrested the accused within 12 hours. The arrested accused Mastram alias Mastu, son of late Kandhai is a resident of Sirsi police station, Shardanagar district, Kheri. The police have registered a case against the accused under IPC Section 298/504, 505(2), as well as Section 67 of the IT Act, under Case No. 47/2024.

Inspector in-charge Brijesh Kumar Maurya said that a report was filed against the accused under various sections of the IT Act. The police were searching for him. The mobile phone used in the incident has also been recovered from his possession. 

‘France is already Allah’s’, ‘Submit to Allah’, ‘Happy Ramadan, non-Muslims’: 58 graves, war memorial, and church vandalised with Islamic graffiti

OpIndia Staff
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‘France is already Allah’s’, ‘Submit to Allah’, ‘Happy Ramadan, non-Muslims’: 58 graves, war memorial, and church vandalised with Islamic graffiti

Authorities in France discovered Islamic graffiti on nearly sixty tombs at a French cemetery with statements like “Submit to Allah,” “France is already Allah’s” and “Happy Ramadan, non-Muslims.” In a development that has infuriated the neighbourhood, 58 burial sites in the Clermont-d’Excideuil cemetery in Périgord Vert, Dordogne, were found to have been vandalised on the morning of 11th March (Monday).

The incident was reported to have occurred on the night of 10th March (Sunday) but was noticed by Clermont d’Excideuil Mayor Claude Eymery the next morning. Inscriptions covered tombs, the war memorial, the church door, a Calvary, and a fountain. “France is already Allah’s,” is scrawled in capital letters on the edge of one tomb site while another displayed, “Happy Ramadan, non-Muslims.” “GWER” which translates as ‘white person, Westerner, or non-Muslim’ in Algerian Arabic, is seen on at least two tombs. The church’s wooden doors bearing the words “Ramadan Mubarak,” placed 300 meters from the graveyard, also served as a target.

Mayor Eymery reportedly witnessed the alarming instance when he arrived at the cemetery at 8:30 in the morning on Monday. He mentioned the same to FranceInfo and contacted the police right away, stating, “It’s weird in a small town like that. I thought it only happened elsewhere.” Jacques-Edouard Andrault, the public prosecutor of Périgueux, responded to the information promptly and declared that an ‘aggravated damage’ probe had been launched.

Residents of Périgord Vert frequently bury their loved ones in the cemetery and many of them were “shocked” and “traumatized” by the tragedy. A local expressed, “I just discovered these tags and it sends shivers down my spine. When I read this, it chills me. It’s a trauma for the town.” According to Alexandre Caillé of the SOS Calvaires association, “People came to see the tombs of their ancestors, of their elders, which were dedicated to eternal rest and ultimately which were disturbed.”

She added, “What is important is the symbol. We are talking about the war memorial, about people who fought for France to be free. People are really outraged, shocked, and some are even traumatized.” An individual voiced, “I just discovered these tags and it sends shivers down my spine. When I read this, it chills me. It’s a trauma for the town.” Another person conveyed, “I didn’t believe it, not here. Honestly, I’m scandalized. I hope we’ll find the author(s) who did this. I grew up in a foster family where they taught respect. Even if you are not a believer or of another religion, you must respect yourself.”

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